Smriti Irani, Tomar get addl charge of Venkaiah Naidu’s portfolios

New Information & Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani with MoS Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in New Delhi Tuesday. (Source: Express Photo by Renuka Puri)

With Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu now NDA’s Vice-Presidential nominee, his two ministerial portfolios have been given to Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Smriti Zubin Irani. The President has also accepted Naidu’s resignation from the Council of Ministers. A press communique from the President’s office said that while Tomar, Union Minister for Rural Development, shall be assigned charge of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in addition to his existing portfolios, Textiles Minister Irani shall be given additional charge of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Sources indicated that the additional charges given to Irani and Tomar are temporary arrangements ahead of a Cabinet reshuffle, when these ministries will get full-time ministers.

A number of other ministries also require a reshuffle. Finance Minister Arun Jaitleyhas been holding additional charge of the Defence Ministry since March after Manohar Parrikar was made Goa Chief Minister. Union Minister for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan was given additional charge of the Environment Ministry in May due to the demise of Union Minister Anil Madhav Dave.

There is also a buzz that Health Minister J P Nadda could be sent to Himachal Pradesh, where elections are due this year-end. The available window for a Cabinet reshuffle is after the conclusion of the monsoon session of Parliament in the second week of August and Gujarat elections in November. The BJP-led government has had two reshuffles in November 2014 and July 2016. With less than two years left for this government, many feel that a reshuffle is imminent before the 2019 general elections.